Child, You're a Beauty
by IconofSelfIndulgence
Summary: Degrassi ficlet concerning Craig. Not very long, but it's slightly dark. R


A/N: This is based off a role play of mine. Craig is being beaten and raped by Leo and refuses to tell anyone about it. He ends up confronting heroin for comfort. He's playing a gig in Toronto here, sort of expressing his feelings in this song. Of course, this song is from Spring Awakening, as some of you may know. I own nothing. If I did, I wouldn't be writing fanfictions here ...

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Craig looked out to the crowd, smiling weakly, but having genuine happiness in his eyes--it was so amazing to these so much support. All these people had come out to see _him_--they had to, since he was the only performer of the night. It was finally something to look forward to after this shitty week. No one would ever know what was wrong with him--he would never tell anyone but those needles that comforted him at night after Leo had his way with him. He bit his lower lip for just a moment before looking down at the acoustic in his hands.

"How's everyone doing tonight?" He asked into the microphone, listening to the positive feedback. "Good to hear, good to hear. I'd like to personally thank you all for coming out." He smiled. "This song I'm about to play comes from one of my favorite musicals. Perhaps some of you have heard of it before." With that, he began to strum, getting into the rhythm.

_"You say, 'Time for bed now, child,'_

_Mom just smiles that smile--_

_Just like she never saw me._

_Just like she never saw me..._

_So, I leave, wantin' just to hide._

_Knowing deep inside_

_You are comin' to me._

_You are comin' to me..._

_You say all you want is just a kiss good night,_

_Then you hold me and you whisper, 'Child, the Lord won't mind._

_It's just you and me._

_Child, you're a beauty.'_

_'God, it's good--the lovin'--ain't it good tonight?_

_You ain't seen nothin' yet--gonna treat you right._

_It's just you and me._

_Child, you're a beauty.'"_

Craig paused, closing his eyes for a moment. He shook his head--it was such a deep song, one that he could unfortunately relate to. He thought about Leo's drunken stare--that angry stare that would haunt him in his dreams. He thought about his father, the disapproval-​-​the hatred. He thought about what his 'friends' would say when they found out he needed heroin to keep himself happy. His eyes opened; he saw some of his friends in the crowd who were staring at him intently, listening to the words of the song. He exhaled a soft breath before continuing on.

_"I don't scream. Though I know it's wrong._

_I just play along._

_I lie there and breathe._

_Lie there and breathe..._

_I wanna be strong--_

_I want the world to find out_

_That you're dreamin' of me,_

_Me and my 'beauty.'_

_Me and my 'beauty' . . ._

_You say all you want is just a kiss good night,_

_Then you hold me and you whisper, 'Child, the Lord won't mind.'_

_It's just you and me._

_Child, you're a beauty.'_

_'God, it's good--the lovin'--ain't it good tonight?_

_You ain't seen nothin' yet--gonna teach you right._

_It's just you and me._

_Child, you're a beauty.'_

_There is a part I can't tell_

_About the dark I know well._

_There is a part I can't tell_

_About the dark I know well._

_There is a part I can't tell_

_About the dark I know well._

_There is a part I can't tell_

_About the dark I know well . . ."_

He swallowed, hearing the applause as he finished holding the last note. It made him shiver; did he deserve this kind of praise? Was he that good?--Leo told him otherwise. At one time, he was so confident about his music. What happened to that? What happened to him? He wasn't Craig Manning anymore--he didn't feel like Craig Manning anymore. Who was he, then? What had he become? A broken soul. He chuckled to himself-​-​silently,​ so the audience wouldn't hear--and closed his eyes, beginning to strum again, starting the next song, trying to get those dark thoughts out of his head for just one night.

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A/N: I know it's short. It's just a mini-drabble. A ficlet. Anyway, hope you enjoyed. And sorry about the spacing; fanfiction(dot)net hates me when it comes to those things.


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